United Emirates to buy British trainer planes

April 23, 1981

By WITH ANALYSIS FROM MONITOR CORRESPONDENTS AROUND THE WORLD

EDITED BY HILARY DEVRIES

Abu Dhabi

The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) told Britain it had decided to buy British Hawk trainer planes for its Air Force, a British spokesman said. He said British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was given the news by the deputy commander of the U.A.E. armed fores, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zaid al-Nahayan, at talks here.

The security of the Gulf area, which produces a quarter of the noncommunist world's oil, had been high on the agenda of Mrs. Thatcher's talks in Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E., and she has stressed Britain's readiness to sell Gulf states the arms they need to defend themselves.